3 ms·

Scale changes everything, I don't think it's fair to shrug this off

by phyrex 2y ago

tiluha 2y ago
This is true, but scale comes after production. Once you have the video encoded on a server with a stable connection the hard part is over. What netflix failed to do is spread the files to enough servers around the globe to handle the load. I'm surprised they were unable(?) to use their network of edge servers to handle the live stream. Just run the stream with a 10 second delay and in that time push the stream segments to the edge server
- dylan604 2y ago
  This right here is where I'd expect the failure to occur. This isn't Joey Beercan running OBS using their home internet connectivity. This is a major broadcast. I'd expect a full on broadcast truck/trailer. If they were attempting to broadcast this with the ($) option directly to a server from onsite, then I would demand my money back. Broadcasting a live IP signal just falls on its face so many times it's only the cheap bastard option. Get the video signal as a video signal away from the live location to a facility with stable redundant networking. This is the kind of thinking someone only familiar with computers/software/networking would think of rather than someone in broadcasting. It's nice to think about disrupting, but this is the kind of failure that disruptors never think about. Broadcasters have been there done that with ensuring live broadcasts don't go down because an internet connection wasn't able to keep up.
  - shrubble 2y ago
    Lumen has their Vyvvyx product/service which uses fiber for broadcast television.
    - chgs 2y ago
      I’ve been using vyvx since it was called global crossing/genesis, it was fairly unique when it started, but point to point ip distributon of programs has been the norm for at least 15 years. Still have backup paths on major events on a different technology, you’d be surprised how common a dual failure on two paths can be. For example output from the euro football this summer my mai paths were on a couple of leased lines with -7, but still had a backup on some local internet into a different city just incase there was a meltdown of the main providers network (it’s happened before with ipath, automation is great until it isn’t)
- mmooss 2y ago
  > Once you have the video encoded on a server with a stable connection the hard part is over. The hard part is over, and people new to the problem think they are almost done, but then the next part turns out to be 100x harder. Lots of people can encode a video.
diggan 2y ago
Yeah, I agree with this, especially the everything part. Netflix isn't exactly a scrappy FOSS/hackers organization or similar.
BlueTemplar 2y ago
Last I checked, p2p solves a lot of the scaling issues. Haven't Asian live sports been using p2p already two decades ago ? (What is the biggest Peertube livestream so far ?)

Scale changes everything, I don't think it's fair to shrug this off

by phyrex 2y ago

Scale changes everything, I don't think it's fair to shrug this off

This is true, but scale comes after production. Once you have the video encoded on a server with a stable connection the hard part is over. What netflix failed to do is spread the files to enough servers around the globe to handle the load. I'm surprised they were unable(?) to use their network of edge servers to handle the live stream. Just run the stream with a 10 second delay and in that time push the stream segments to the edge server

dylan604 2y ago
This right here is where I'd expect the failure to occur. This isn't Joey Beercan running OBS using their home internet connectivity. This is a major broadcast. I'd expect a full on broadcast truck/trailer. If they were attempting to broadcast this with the ($) option directly to a server from onsite, then I would demand my money back. Broadcasting a live IP signal just falls on its face so many times it's only the cheap bastard option. Get the video signal as a video signal away from the live location to a facility with stable redundant networking. This is the kind of thinking someone only familiar with computers/software/networking would think of rather than someone in broadcasting. It's nice to think about disrupting, but this is the kind of failure that disruptors never think about. Broadcasters have been there done that with ensuring live broadcasts don't go down because an internet connection wasn't able to keep up.
- shrubble 2y ago
  Lumen has their Vyvvyx product/service which uses fiber for broadcast television.
  - chgs 2y ago
    I’ve been using vyvx since it was called global crossing/genesis, it was fairly unique when it started, but point to point ip distributon of programs has been the norm for at least 15 years. Still have backup paths on major events on a different technology, you’d be surprised how common a dual failure on two paths can be. For example output from the euro football this summer my mai paths were on a couple of leased lines with -7, but still had a backup on some local internet into a different city just incase there was a meltdown of the main providers network (it’s happened before with ipath, automation is great until it isn’t)
mmooss 2y ago
> Once you have the video encoded on a server with a stable connection the hard part is over. The hard part is over, and people new to the problem think they are almost done, but then the next part turns out to be 100x harder. Lots of people can encode a video.

diggan 2y ago

Yeah, I agree with this, especially the everything part. Netflix isn't exactly a scrappy FOSS/hackers organization or similar.

BlueTemplar 2y ago

Last I checked, p2p solves a lot of the scaling issues. Haven't Asian live sports been using p2p already two decades ago ? (What is the biggest Peertube livestream so far ?)